War on invasive species

“Then of course there are some creepers that are more difficult to remove. For the merrimia creeper for example we actually have to dig under the ground to find and remove its feeder.”

The question which remains however is: after several failed attempts to eradicate these invasive species, what will the authority do differently to ensure they are truly destroyed?

The director of Forestry and National Parks Authority, Jason Jaqueline, had this response: “Since they grow rapidly and propagate easily, the contractors will have one month to follow up on their allocated sites to ensure that the creepers do not propagate again. Before this campaign we hardly had any follow-ups.”

The authority plans to give the contractors 80% of their earnings after main removal work and the other 20% after the one-month follow up period. Contractors are expected to be paid R50 per square metre.

However due to budget constraints, only a few contractors out of the 58 will be allocated a plot. To ensure fairness and transparency contractors will have to participate in a draw to be allocated a plot in their respective region.

Those not lucky enough will have to wait their turn for the next roll-call in this control of invasive creepers campaign which will span over five years.